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Prolotherapy in Sports Medicine

Prolotherapy is a relatively new method for treating chronic pain. It is based on the assumption that chronic pain in many cases involving numerous parts of the body is due to ligamentous laxity. Ligament laxity can be eliminated by strengthening the ligaments using prolotherapy injections made up of an irritating substances that stimulate connective tissue proliferation. The solutions are different mixtures that may contain phenol, glycerin, glucose hypertonic solution associated with local anesthetics. Prolotherapy injection treatment is very effective in association with physical therapy with the use of supplementation of minerals and vitamins.

Athletes may have benefit from Prolotherapy?

Many sports injuries are often distracting and distorting in origin; meaning that sports trauma dominantly injure the tendons and ligaments. If these athletes are treated appropriately and targeted with Prolotherapy, they can recover very quickly and be physically ready to play their sport again with excellent results. For example, knee sprain ligament causes a joint instability followed by local. With Prolotherapy, as applied to injured tissue, it has a direct immune attack causing proliferation which accelerates the healing of unstable ligament. In this way, the instability treated (eg. Knee, shoulder, back, etc.) resumes its physiological function and provides a guarantee that it will not lose its function because the new tissue is regenerated and reinforced. For sports injuries Prolotherapy is an absolutely a beneficial treatment and well recommended. Numerous clubs, sports clubs and individual athletes, have already tested and used with great success Prolotherapy: The United States SCI team, as well as many US teams, professional and not, Basketball and American Football are using this fabulous therapy avoiding surgery for their athletes, with extraordinary results.

The function of ligaments:

The ligaments are used to hold the bones together. The ligaments are robust structures similar to nylon fabrics that have the function to securely hold together the bone structures and which allow limited movement of the latter. Any excessive stretching to the physiology of ligaments may result in instability of the associated complex structures. Ligaments are very important structures for joint stability and are sometimes sensitive subject to strains and injuries. The spine are full of ligaments and for the above reasons may be the frequent reason for instability of the spine (back/neck pain). The ligaments have an elastic energy, very similar to “elastic bands”. The ligaments that lose or reduce this elastic function, become unstable and insecure and thus allow the micro-movements of the bones or abnormal movements of the bony structures that cause the pain.

MANY ATHLETES OF THE ITALIAN AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Aquile di Ferrara) HAVE USED Prolotherapy WITH EXCELLENT RESULTS.

The benefits of Prolotherapy

(Dr. Vittorio Dehò, specialist in physical therapy and rehabilitation Galeazzi Institute in Milan)

To relieve pain caused by the relaxation of the tendons and ligaments around a joint, the specialist can now use, prolotherapy. “Treatment with prolotherapy (whose first studies date back to 1956) is performed when the ligaments of a body are relaxed with tight muscles,” says Dr. Stephen G. Cavallino, proloterapist in Europe for over 15 years

How is the treatment?

“First of all you need a thorough investigation to identify the injured tissues.

, “says Dr. Cavallino. “The affected areas are marked with a drawn diagram. At this point the actual treatment begins: the specialist proceeds with multiple injections, on the previously marked points, with first a local anesthetic solution and then proceeds with the injection of dextrose (ie sugar), into the periosteal insertions of ligaments. “

Why does prolotherapy treatment have to be repeated after some time?

“The purpose is to stimulate the body to produce new collagen-fibrous tissue which ensures tightness of the ligaments to the bone”, clarifies Dr. Cavallino. This will increase stability in the joints and definitely reduce pain. “Prolo your pain away”

Prolotherapy is indicated in cases in which, in particular, the pain is caused by low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, shoulder pain, hip pain as well as many clinical situations like the suffering so-called “tennis elbow”.